2010 Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2010 vintage started out with a very mild spring which continued into summer. The summer months were unusally cool until a heat wave in the early fall kicked harvest off. The pace of harvest was very relaxed, lasting over eight weeks from the start of white varieties to the last Cabernet berry. Because the growing season was so long, the vines achieved full phenolic maturity, giving the tannins a level of textural elegance unsurpassed in normal vintages. For our efforts, we have been rewarded with a rich, full-bodied Cabernet, deep in color. The nose of the wine is lively with essences of dark berries, plum, dark chocolate, and toasty oak. The sweet, supple entry crescendos into a deeply intense middle; followed by a pleasant, velvety, lingering finish.

To help round out the Cabernet Sauvignon, we continued our traditional extended barrel aging program; not to give the wine more oak or vanilla characters, but to give the wine more time in the micro-aerative environment of the barrel to enhance tannin polymerization. For our efforts, we have been rewarded with a rich, full-bodied Cabernet, deep in color. The nose of the wine is lively with essences of dark berries, plum, dark chocolate, and toasty oak. The sweet, supple entry crescendos into a deeply intense middle; followed by a pleasant, velvety, lingering finish.